Emerald Eyes
by SherlockIsMyHero
Summary: First ever fic! A student seems to appear out of nowhere with eyes that remind Severus of a love he lost long ago. When he finds out she's being bullied and tries to help, will he get too emotionally attached? Eventual M for Severus/OC and some violence
1. Chapter 1

"Can you tell me what a moonseed is?" he asked a tone of sharpness in his voice. She straightened her back as though trying to draw strength into herself. Her shyness was crippling and her voice seemed unwilling to co-operate with the thoughts in her brain but she managed to whisper,

"It's...it's a plant that's used in potions sir. Its named 'moonseed' as the seeds are the same shape as the crescent moon. It has been documented that all parts of this plant are highly poisonous in any quantity." She inhaled deeply and tried to even out her breathing. She always got nervous when talking in front of people. Snape nodded and tried to hide the fact that he was impressed, no-one else in the class would have known that if he'd picked on them judging by the puzzled expressions on their faces; and the murmured whispers running through the classroom of _how did she know that? I've never even heard of a moonseed..._causing the girls cheeks to flush again.

"Very good," the professor said matter-of-factly, "What is your name?"

"C-Candra sir. Candra Jones," she stuttered. Snape tried to recall images of any Candra's that he had taught but none of them matched the girl before him. Snape gave a slight nod and looking at her tie said,

"Ten Points to Ravenclaw." She smiled slightly.

The boy in the back snorted again and whispered something to one of his friends. Candra's head turned at the noise and quickly turned back, resuming the position that she had attained before. Snape moved across the room, his gaze now firmly attached to the disrupting boy at the back. This face he did recognise.

"Mr. Tyler. Do you have something you wish to share with the rest of the class?" His eyes bore into the boy and he squirmed slightly under his glare.

"No...professor" said the aforementioned Mr. Tyler.

"Well whatever it was you had to say I'm sure it would be far better constructed as an essay on the properties of moonseed don't you think? Two rolls of parchment due next lesson." Mr Tyler's face contorted into that of regret and rage.

"That's not fair professor, I barely did anything. Just because the ugly little mudblood over there is a know-it-all doesn't mean we all are." Snape saw Candra flinch slightly at the boys words and crossed her arms trying to detract attention from herself. Snape felt a sudden flair of anger and his voice cracked slightly as he shouted at the boy in front of him,

"I will not tolerate language like that in my classroom! Fifty Points from Slytherin and detention. I still expect that essay tomorrow."

"Professor you can't -"

"Three rolls of parchment and if you dare to utter another word it shall be four is that clear Mr. Tyler?" Snape spat out the words. The boy nodded and Snape quickly walked to the front of the classroom. The students were shocked at his sudden outburst and him taking points from his own house, which rarely happened.

"Now if the rest of you would turn to page 15 then we shall properly begin today's lesson and I expect no more ignorance on behalf of anybody." The next couple of seconds was a rustle of pages as all the students found the correct page and made sure that they had parchment ready to take notes.

Candra looked up from her book quickly to look at the professor at the front of the room. He caught her eye and she looked away quickly but not before trying to convey a silent thank-you that she hope he'd noticed.

The rest of the lesson went smoothly, the Tyler boy having been too embarrassed to say anything else. Mostly Snape was lecturing and they were taking notes...as most of the lessons would be.

"That's everything for today's lesson, class dismissed," Snape said, slightly relieved. Candra quickly shoved her text book and other equipment into her back and walked briskly out of the room. Before she could get out the door however Mr. Tyler (who should be referred to as Hunter as it seems fit to skip formalities with this brute) shoved her over. Before Snape could say anything Hunter had run out of the room laughing with his friends. Candra had hit the floor hard. She'd banged her head on the hard flagstone floor and she could feel her knees bleeding beneath her tights. One of her wrists was incredibly sore where she had tried to break her fall...to no avail. Snape waited for someone to help her up but all the students (who had gasped when she fell) just kept walking. By the time they had left Candra had just begun to stir on the floor where Snape suspected she had been knocked out for a few seconds.

He walked over to the almost motionless figure laying on the floor and bent down next to her.

"Miss Jones, are you alright?," he tried to let a little warmth into his tone...which was much harder than he thought. He touched her right wrist to try and aid her in sitting up and she flinched making a small moan.

"Okay," he said quietly moving his hand to her elbow, "Can you sit up?" Candra gave a weak nod and slowly raised her body so that she was sitting. The embarrassment was overwhelming, one little fall and she can barely sit up. The world was a little hazy and she was struggling to focus, she was vaguely aware that the professor was talking to her. It sounded as though she'd actually hit her head on one of the stone desks as she fell...she didn't recall that happening. She noticed Professor. Snape's eyebrows burrowing in what she thought was possibly concern and she realised he must have asked her a question.

"I'm sorry Professor...umm...what did you say I didn't -"

"I think we should get you to Madam Pomfrey. You've had a severe blow to the head and your wrist is badly sprained, though luckily not broken." Candra began to panic. Going to the hospital wing meant that she would have to say who pushed her, though she knew Snape must know the answer to that. Then there would be questions that she didn't want to answer. _Who was it Candra? Have they done anything like this before? How long has this been going on?_ Last time she'd told anyone it had just made it ten times worse. That time she did have a broken wrist and a few good bruises to show what happened to people who snitch.

"Professor please no I'm fine," she said raising herself to her feet with her good hand, trying not to put too much pressure on her bloodied knees. "Honestly I'm fine," the blood had rushed to her head as she stood up and she felt herself sway forward. Snape stopped her from hitting the floor again resting a hand on each of her arms. Thankfully it was the last lesson of the day so no other lessons were coming in and Candra wasn't going to be late for any classes and dinner wasn't for another two hours.

"Some how Miss Jones I highly doubt that you are...fine." Candra suddenly felt embarrassed and she stepped back grabbing the nearby table for support. Candra blinked a couple of times, slowly, bringing the world back into focus. Her wrist was aching and her knees were stinging but she ignored them and continued her protest,

"I assure you professor I'm used to it." She didn't realised what she'd said until the words left her mouth but Snape didn't seem very surprised.

"How long?" Snape asked, not needing to finish the question.

"I'd rather not -"

"How long, Miss Jones," Snape asked more firmly.

"Since first year, I'm a dirty mudblood after all." She spat the words out, a spark of anger lighting inside of her. She leaned down to lift her bag back up with her good arm holding the other against her chest. Snape's face wasn't readable, there was no way to tell what he was thinking.

"Professor Snape. I'm begging you, please don't say anything." Snape opened his mouth about to go on about his duty as a professor to protect the students of Hogwarts when he noticed the fear in her eyes. Those eyes that were so much like...he couldn't. He narrowed his eyes and gave a quick nod. Candra's shoulders sagged with relief and her head dipped slightly,

"Thank-you," she said quietly before walking out of the door. Snape sighed and ran his hand through his hair, he had a feeling that that was going to come back to haunt him.

Candra walked out of the classroom and was relieved to see that the halls were practically empty. It was the end of the day and most of the students were in their common room. She walked as quickly as she could through the corridors, eager to get to her dorm where she could tend to her wounds. No one would notice her hobbling in, they all had more important things to do than talk to her. It always confused Candra, she was nice enough wasn't she? What was wrong with her? No one ever talked to her it was as though she was draped in an invisibility cloak twenty four hours a day. She didn't know where it started, she'd not had many friends before Hogwarts either. The few friends she did have were lost when she received her letter. Of course they didn't believe her that she was going to a special school for wizards. They all thought she was completely insane and promptly stopped talking to her. On second thought it would have been wiser to just tell them that she was going to boarding school.

Candra was lost in her thoughts as she walked through the almost bare corridor, until she felt hands grab her and pull her into a side corridor. It was a small dark corridor that led to what was presumably a store room of some sort. Confusion hit her before a familiar voice whispered menacingly in her ear,

"You sure were in there a long time Jones...been snitching again have we?" he gave a sharp laugh and tutted before carrying on, "don't you remember what happened last time...Jones?" As he said her last name he tugged painfully on her hair making her cry out.

"No no honestly I haven't. Please don't I -" her hair was tugged again bringing tears to her eyes.

"You better keep your wits about you mudblood, I wouldn't want to have to really hurt you. Would I?" That dark chuckle was back again and Candra was vaguely aware of a couple of his friends laughing behind him.

"Just to make sure though...I'll leave you with a little warning." He let go of her hair and Candra braced herself for what was coming. It didn't help.

She felt a fist slam into her stomach and she keeled forwards the wind knocked out of her lungs. Then it slammed into her again...and again...until she was kneeling on the floor gasping for breath.

There was the sound of laughter loud in her ears. She couldn't focus on her surroundings as her eyes were clouding over with pain. She vaguely heard snippets of conversation:

"Yeah go on Hunter...give that filthy mudblood what she has coming"

"Ha-Ha finish her off Hunter...do it!"

For a few seconds nothing happened...then suddenly a fist slammed into the side of her face and the world flashed white; before she slipped back into the darkness.

Candra's eyes opened slowly. She could feel that her lip was swollen, it was uncomfortable and heavy. Her stomach hurt and she struggled to bring herself to her feet. She picked up her bag and slowly made her way out of the small corridor and up to her common room. She tried hard not to think about how she looked before realising that she didn't need to worry. There were no other students in the hallway, it must be dinner time.

"How long was I out for?" she muttered to herself. She didn't feel hungry, not surprisingly as she'd been hit multiple times in her stomach.

When she reached the common room she sighed with relief. As quickly as she could she got to her dorm and her bed; closing the curtains around her. That was when she finally let herself cry. The tears came and they didn't stop. She'd thought this year would be different. She thought this year maybe they would leave her alone.


	2. Chapter 2

Candra woke up with a throbbing headache her eyes stinging slightly. She'd cried until she'd fallen asleep, still in her uniform. She'd woken up in the middle of the night and gone for a shower, careful not to wake anyone up. She'd washed the dried blood off her knees and her lip and checked the rest of her body for injury. Her wrist was still slightly swollen but it felt better than it had; but there was a bruise spreading across her stomach.

She looked at herself in the mirror for the first time on the way out of the shower. She winced as she noticed the gash on her lip and she was sure that she was going to have a black eye by the time she woke up. Without going to madam Pomfrey there was no way to make any of it better. She'd just keep her head low as usual and hope that Professor Snape didn't tell anyone. She'd gone back to bed and fell into a very light sleep, the pain in her head becoming almost unbearable.

Snape had checked the dining hall for her at dinner. Looking over at the Ravenclaw table he tried to spot the flash of bright red hair (distinctive even in the mass of Ravenclaw's). His stomach dropped slightly when he didn't see her, that meant she hadn't eaten that night.

"_Ridiculous," _he thought to himself, _"Why are you so concerned about one student? It's quite pathetic really." _He pushed the thought out of his head, remembering his years at Hogwarts. Bullying wasn't something that should be taken lightly but Dumbledore refused to believe that any could possibly be being bullied at Hogwarts. Sometimes Snape worried about the man, at times he seemed to think the world was made of sunshine and lollipops.

Against his better judgement Severus went to the great hall to eat breakfast as well (a meal which he would usually eat in his private quarters) to make sure that she'd actually turned up for breakfast. Once again his stomach dropped as he noticed her absence from the Ravenclaw table. Fortunately the Advanced Potion lesson he was teaching first was hers and he'd be able to make sure she was alright. He snided himself again, he was starting to sound like a worried parent...not a professor.

The class were all seated when the Professor walked into the room. He quickly walked up to the front of the room and scanned his eyes across the front desk. Within a few seconds it was clear that Candra wasn't there.

"Turn to Chapter two and take notes on the uses of gillyweed. At least one roll of parchment." There was a rustle of paper and quills being taken out ready to take notes. Snape sat at his desk and started to mark a couple of papers that had already been handed in, which reminded him.

"Mr Tyler do you have the paper which you owe me?" he said sharply. Hunter walked to the front of the class and threw the pieces of parchment on the desk. An evil looking smirk flicked across his face before he sat back at his desk. Snape glanced at the essay and sighed. The writing was clearly not Hunters but Snape decided to leave it until the detention he had planned.

Ten minutes passed of the rest of the class writing when Candra walked into the room. Well walked probably isn't the best word...shoved or stumbled probably describes it more adequately. She gained her composure and slowly walked up to her desk at the front and sat down. She'd kept her head down the whole way eager not to draw any more attention to herself. As soon as she sat down Snape said,

"You're late Miss Jones." He got up from his desk and stood in front of her. She kept her head down and said,

"Sorry Professor," keeping her head down.

"And what excuse do you have for being late to my lesson Miss Jones?" he said sternly his tone forcing her to look up. She raised her head, avoiding his gaze. As he saw her shock flashed across his face for a moment. He was aware that most of the class were watching and he tried to bring the sterness back into his face. His eyes still held a trace of concern as he noted her split lip and a black eye that looked swollen and sore.

"I was feeling ill Professor, I apologise." Her head was still throbbing and she was trying to ignore the rest of the class staring at her.

"I'll see you after class Miss Jones, turn to Chapter two and make notes on the functions of gillyweed." Candra nodded and took out her textbook.

The rest of the lesson passed with Snape trying not to look at Candra with anything but concern in his eyes. If he was honest it was hard not to look at Candra at all. At the end of the lesson Candra sat patiently waiting for the rest of the students to leave the classroom. When they had all gone Snape finally spoke,

"Why were you _really_ late?" he asked.

"I was feeling ill Professor and I accidentally slept in late. I apologise and it won't happen again," Candra said slowly as though she was picking each word carefully. She didn't look up as she spoke fiddling with her thumbs as she had done before. Snape sighed,

"I don't appreciate being lied to Miss Jones."

"It's true Professor. I have – I mean I had a very bad headache last night and I slept in late. It won't happen again."

"Does your head still hurt? If it does you should probably go to Madam Pomfrey." He knew what her answer would be before he'd finished speaking.

"No Professor I'm alright." She felt bad lying to a Professor, but she felt worse knowing that Professor Snape probably knew that she was lying. Snape sighed knowing that he was about to offer something stupid that was totally against what he should do as a Professor.

"What lesson do you have next Miss Jones?" he asked.

"I'm studying in the Great Hall sir."

"Good, well I shall have the teacher informed as to why you were absent at the end of this lesson." Candra looked up a confused look on her face,

"But Professor -"

"You should find yourself lucky, Miss Jones, that it happened to be a Potions teacher that found out about your predicament. I may not have all the medicinal skills of Madam Pomfrey but I am completely capable of healing small cuts and bruise; and curing headaches of course." Snape knew that he should insist that she went to the hospital ward, but he knew that that would probably only make matters worse; and he couldn't let that happen and still sleep at night.

"Professor you don't have to-" she started before being cut off by the professor again,

"I wouldn't argue right now if I were you Miss Jones, now please follow me." He walked through a doorway at the side of the room and Candra got up from her desk and followed him, slightly dumbstruck.

The room that he led her into was a smaller classroom. There were a couple of desks and a teachers desk at the top of the room. The walls were completely covered in shelves that were themselves filled with bottles and boxes filled with herbs and plants and all other sorts of items.

"Sit down Miss Jones," Snape's voice sounded louder and reverberated off the walls of the small room making Candra's head ache for a moment. She sat down at one of the desks and noticed Professor Snape closing the door before picking up a few bottles off the shelf seemingly at random and placing them in front of her on the desk. He grabbed a couple of leaves of some sort out of one of the jars and handed them to Candra. She picked them up and looked puzzled.

"Eat them, it will ease your headache," he answered her question before she could ask it and watched as she slowly chewed on the leaves scrunching her nose slightly at the flavour. Almost instantly the tension eased in her head and she felt the pain beginning to seep away.

"Is that any better?" he asked and she nodded slightly in reply.

"How did you get the bruises on your face Miss Jones," he asked before doing anything else.

"They must have happened when I fell Professor," she said quietly.

"No, they did not Miss Jones. I was there when you fell. Let me assure you that nothing you say will leave this room, please tell me how you got those bruises." Candra open and closed her mouth a couple of times before saying anything. She noted that she had never heard Professor Snape say the word 'please' before.

Snape could see a battle of wills going on in Candra's mind. Those eyes betrayed her, you could see every emotion she had flick through them as though you could read her thoughts. He noticed that they glistened with tears slightly as she finally spoke, obviously having made up her mind on how much to tell her Professor.

"They...They thought that, because I'd stayed behind for a while yesterday, I'd told you what was happening. So...they ummm they -" her voice cracked slightly as she spoke and she tried to fight back tears, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Her eyes showed determination as she started to speak again,

"They gave me their idea of a 'warning'. So that I would obviously understand what would happen if I ever tried to tell anyone again." Snape tried not to let any emotion show in his face as he walked around the desk and sat down on the chair next to Candra. His mind was screaming at him to say something comforting, '_It's okay, I won't let them hurt you again' _or _'It's not your fault, I'll make sure this gets sorted.' _Both of these things would obviously sound ridiculous coming from her Potions professor so he kept quiet.

He was starting to worry that he would become emotionally attached to this girl, probably due to pity more than anything (at least that's what he told himself as he tried to avoid those eyes that were staring at him with...was that gratefulness?) He could remember all too well how cruel teenagers could be to their peers (Snape realised that he didn't actually know why Candra was being bullied, and seemingly ignored by the rest of the year. This he would have to work on finding out.)

He turned the chair he was sat in so that it was facing Candra.

"I need to see the bruises properly before I can decide on the best way to treat them, is that okay?" he asked. Candra nodded in reply suddenly embarrassed at the proximity of her teacher; she scolded herself in her head for being so childesh. Snape motioned for her to turn her chair so that it was facing his, she did so promptly and tried not to blush as their knees brushed against each other. Snape didn't show any signs of noticing and leant forward to inspect her face.

Her lip was swollen slightly on one side around a cut that had obviously come about by a fist in the face. He pressed on the swollen area lightly with his index finger and Candra hissed slightly at the sharp pain it brought about. Snape stopped for a moment a slight frown on his face as he mumbled an apology. He leant forwards more, examining the cut on her lip closely. It wasn't too bad and had already begun to heal; but if left alone there was definitely a possibility that it would scar. Snape was already running over possibilities of potions in his head. He paused as he thought and his thumb ran across Candra's bottom lip.

Candra could feel every touch as though her senses were heightened. She suspected that this was due to the fact that half of her face was probably swollen, with more bruises waiting to bloom forth. She inhaled sharply as Snape's thumb ran across her lip, making it tingle under his touch. She hoped that Snape had took it for a gasp of pain, but he seemed to be lost in his thoughts looking past Candra at the wall behind them.

Snape felt her breath on his thumb, pulling him out of his thoughts. He withdrew his hand quickly as he realised that it had been resting on her lip, careful not to touch any of the sore spots. Pulling himself together again he put a hand on either side of her face, his fingers feeling around her jaw and down around under her chin for any more swelling. Candra didn't even try and stop the blush spreading across her cheeks, there was no point. Snape felt her cheeks heat slightly with the blush and resisted the urge to chuckle.

It was deadly silent in the room and Candra could both hers and Snape's steady intake of breath. She heard her own hitch slightly as Snape touched sore spot that was obviously going to bruise.

He moved to examine her black eye which was slightly hidden by her hair. He should have asked if she could push it out of the way so he could see her eye, but instead he lightly brushed the away that was in the way back with his fingers and tucked it behind her ear. His hand lingered slightly longer than it should have and he quickly moved it away once he realised what he'd done. He took a look at the purple bruise that surrounded her eye and the swelling it had caused. It looked much worse now that he looked closely at it and a familiar tug of anger wrenched at his stomach. He didn't dare touch it; his fingers hovered above it as though trying to erase it before he pulled them away.

He stood abruptly and Candra sat patiently. She stared at him as he arose, she couldn't stop herself. This was the first person, for a very long time, who had actually shown kindness to her. Albeit a cold, distant sort of kindness. He collected a few more things off the shelves and Candra watched him as he worked. She watched for around fifteen minutes as he ground, chopped and stirred. At the end of the process Snape had ended up with two different salves. One of them was for the cut on her lip and the other for the bruises and swelling. He walked back around the desk and sat down again on the chair facing Candra's. Nothing had been said whilst he'd been concocting the salves but he had been aware of Candra cataloguing his every move, as though trying to remember everything. He picked up one of the salves,

"This is for the cut on your lip," he said. His voice seemed quite loud after the long silence they had just been subjected to. Candra nodded slightly, watching Snape's index finger scoop up some of the mixture. It was a dark olive green colour and looked approximately the same consistency of melted cheese, almost a stringy texture to it.

"It may sting a bit as it's applied," Snape warned, before slowly dabbing the mixture completely over the cut. Candra was surprised at the feeling of it. It did sting, a lot. It was freezing cold and it was like having an incredibly intense freezer burn. She closed her eyes, but the feeling quickly passed. After around ten seconds the cold feeling was gone and Candra tentatively brought a finger up to her lip. It felt as though the cut was gone, and indeed it was. It having been a very small cut, it hadn't taken much to make it vanish completely. Candra looked at the Professor with a slightly shocked look in her eyes,

"Wow," she said quietly. Snape fought back the urge to smile.

Snape picked up the second salve,

"Obviously this one is for your bruises, it may not make them fade completely but it should take away the swelling and the pain." Candra again nodded, the thought of being without pain a nice feeling. Her headache was a distant memory, her thoughts a lot clearer than they were. Once again Candra watched as Snape dipped his fingers in the mixture, this one wasn't as thick as the other, though it wasn't incredibly runny either. The colour difference was quite astounding, instead of being a subdued colour this particular mixture was bright purple. Snape leant forward and gently applied the salve to the bruise around her mouth. She flinched slightly; this one sent a tingling prickly sensation to the area it was applied to.

Snape hesitated before beginning to apply it around her eye. She closed her eye and he dabbed it on as gently as he could; though he still felt her stiffen slightly with obvious discomfort. Once he was finished he sat back and waited, watching as the bruises seemed to heal in fast forward. They healed to the point where they were barely noticeable, like a dull grey around her eye and her lip. The swelling was completely gone. Candra gasped as her fingers touched her eyelid, and a small smile formed on her lips.

"You should be feeling better now," said Snape.

"Yes," Candra said, when her hand flicked to her stomach grazing over the bruise that was tender and throbbing, "oh."

"What is it? Are you okay?" Snape stood and leant forward putting his hand over hers on her stomach.

"No, I mean yes professor. It's just, I have a bruise on my stomach as well from where they were...well its just that it's been fine until-"

"Show me," said the Professor sternly giving her no choice in the matter. Candra flushed red as she slowly pulled up her jumper so that Snape could see her stomach. She held the jumper in place and watched Snape's eyes widen slightly as he noted the boot shaped bruises spread across her stomach. He sighed, his mind wondering what cruel punishment he could give Hunter when his detention came. He picked the salve back up and began rubbing it gently across the bruises, allowing himself to feel a tinge of relief when he saw them beginning to fade.

Candra put her jumper back down once the salve had completely disappeared.

"Thank-you professor, I really appreciate this," she said quietly then went to pick up her back and leave.

"Wait a second Miss Jones," Snape said, motioning for Candra to sit back down. Candra felt a sinking feeling in her stomach, Snape had his arms crossed and he ran a hand through his hair before sitting down as they were before. He sighed and then spoke again,

"Candra," Candra looked up at him as he addressed her with her first name for the first time. "I am willing to not mention your...situation...to the headteacher as a formal matter. But..." Candra felt her heart sink, she felt panic rise in her chest 'but' was never a good word. Snape saw the panic flash in her eyes and instantly felt guilty, in the quiet room he could hear her breathing quicken as she thought over the possibilities of what 'but' meant. _He can't tell anyone, please don't tell anyone. What if he tells Dumbledore? They'll destroy me completely..._

Snape sighed, again, and decided to change what he'd been about to say 'if this happens again I'll have to tell Dumbledore'. Instead he said,

"Please be careful Miss Jones, if anything else happens with you and Mr. Tyler please inform at once. I'm here if you wish to talk about anything," he tried to word what he was trying to say carefully. He wanted her to confide in him; honestly he pitied her...he really did. It was obvious that she needed someone to talk to, and if he didn't offer then no one would. Not only that though but there was something there. He wanted to know more about her, he wanted to...his pushed away unwanted thoughts. His hand flexed forward as though to lay a comforting hand on her knee, but he instantly thought better of it not sure whether the action would be appropriate or not.

Candra didn't think that she had ever heard anything more odd. Professor Snape was being, there was no other word for it, kind. This was strange, as far as she was aware Professor Snape wasn't kind to anyone. Ever. He had a reputation for being cold and distant to everyone, she couldn't believe that he was being kind to her. A warm feeling spread across her chest at the realisation that maybe someone cared about her. The warm feeling was instantly frozen slightly as the rational side of her brain realised that it was probably only due to pity that Snape was being kind; and his duty as a professor. But she still let herself have a vague glimmer of hope that maybe someone at Hogwarts was going to start being kind to her.


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter is a little different, I wanted to kind of get their relationship going a bit more and add a bit of comic relief (as I think Percy provides). It's a bit nicer than the other chapters...but don't worry angsty bullying shall be back next chapter! **

**Please r&r I would love to know if you enjoy it :)**

**-SherlockIsMyHero**

* * *

><p>Candra had left the potions classroom that day feeling almost happy. The next two weeks passed without much harassment from Hunter. He'd had his detention with Professor Snape and whatever had happened had left Hunter almost completely silent in all of Snape's classes for a whole week! It also kept him away from Candra for a while, at least that's what Candra suspected was the cause for his quietness (especially as he looked slightly paler in Snape's classes than usual). Candra would thank Snape if she didn't think that that would be completely pathetic and utterly ridiculous. It isn't as though Professor Snape had told Hunter to stay away from her, although she liked to think that he might have.<p>

The week after wasn't quite so serene although, if Candra was honest, it wasn't as violent as she had withstood before. She'd been shoved in the corridors a couple of times, and she'd tripped over Hunter's extended foot in Charms which had been in the way 'by accident'. Other than that though she couldn't really complain. She never complained much anyway.

The Saturday of the second week came and Candra was surprised to hear nearly all of the students in her dorm getting ready to wake up. Usually they were much more groggy in the mornings, especially on Saturdays! Then she remembered, 'Hogsmeade!'. She'd completely forgotten that it was the first Hogsmeade trip of the year today, she sighed contently as she slowly got ready for the day ahead. She wouldn't be going to Hogsmeade (what was the point? It wasn't as though she had anyone to go with). She could easily have gotten her form signed but she relished in the quietness that the school seemed to have on a Hogsmeade trip. Most of the students would go and the school would be left in a stillness that Candra craved. Today was no different, especially as it was the first trip of the year. After she'd gone to breakfast (two slices of toast and some pumpkin juice) she headed to the place that she felt most comfortable in. The owlry.

She'd had her owl, Percy, since her first year when she'd bonded with him at Diagon alley. He was a beautiful owl, quiet large with speckled dark brown and light brown feathers. His eyes were bright and inquiring, something that she'd always loved about him. As she entered the owlry she heard the hoots of all the other owls around her, but she could instantly pick out the excited hoot of Percy as she entered the room. She quickly walked over to his cage and let him out, he jumped out and did a quick circle of the room before landing on her shoulder. She laughed, coming here was the only time she did laugh.

"Hello Percy," she said lovingly, "how are you?" Percy gave a soft hoot and nuzzled her ear affectionately. She smiled and walked over to a bench in the middle of the room and sat down. She planned on spending most of the day in the owlry so she had bought some school books with her along with some parchment. She pondered on sending her parents a letter before deciding against it, she only really wrote to them at Christmas when she was at Hogwarts. Percy hopped down to sit beside her on the bench nipping at the sleeve of her hoodie.

"Oh, I know what you want..." she said and she rummaged around in her bag until she found what she wanted. She brought out a box of Bertie Bott's every flavour beans and shook them at Percy who hooted with delight. For some very strange reason Percy was particularly fond of these mysterious jelly beans so Candra always made sure that she bought a good amount of boxes on the train to Hogwarts at the beginning of the year. She was sure that it wasn't normal for an owl to enjoy eating jelly beans, she was also sure that they probably weren't very good for him. But she had such a soft spot for Percy that she usually gave into his demands and today was no exception.

She poured out five or so jelly beans into her hand and held them out for Percy to eat. He ate them all with enthusiasm and it wasn't long before she was piling some more into her hand for him to eat. She laughed at him as he ruffled his feathers with delight.

"How very peculiar," said a low voice from behind her that she instantly recognised. She stood up quickly stuffing the Bertie Bott's every flavour beans into the front pocket of her hoodie,

"Professor!" she said in a shocked tone, she could feel her face flushing.

"Do you often feed your owl sweets Miss Jones," he asked with a ghost of a smirk on his lips. Candra was sure that she had gone a bright red as she answered,

"He umm, well he really likes them. They're his favourite." Snape glanced at the owl who was peering at him suspiciously from behind Candra. This was the man responsible for interrupting his steady stream of sweets. Snape could have sworn the owls eyes narrowed slightly. Then its feathers had stretched out and it swooped onto Candra's shoulder, who jumped with surprise.

"Peculiar indeed," said Snape quietly so that Candra wasn't sure whether she had actually heard him speak or just imagined it. After a few moments of slightly uncomfortable silence Percy let out a hoot as if determined to break it. Candra laughed without thinking.

It was the first time he'd heard her laugh, and he instantly wished that she did it more often. When she laughed her whole face lit up and her eyes shone. It completely transformed her and Snape had to fight the urge to laugh with her. When she realised that she was laughing she looked very embarrassed and her eyes flickered to Snape before they dropped down to the floor. He realised that he was staring.

Clearing his thought the Professor spoke,

"Has everything been...alright recently?" he asked, the underlying question clear. Candra looked back up at the professor, slightly confused. Not at his question of course but...he was obviously here for something. So why was he wasting his time talking to her? She answered slowly,

"Yes Professor. I've had barely any trouble this past couple of weeks. It has been quite pleasant." She smiled weakly at him, not surprised when a smile wasn't returned.

"I am glad to hear it Miss Jones," and he was. He truly was. Though the way she spoke, it was as though she knew that the torment would return again after today. Slowly it had been seeping back in and she knew that it was going to come back.

Neither of them knew what to say, but neither of them excused themselves to leave. Candra shuffled her feet and absent mindedly fiddled with the Bertie Bott's every flavour bean packet in her pocket causing a soft rattling sound. Percy's ears instantly pricked up at the sound of his favourite treat. Before either of them were aware what was happening Percy was swooping around the room. He flew closely to Snape's head making him move forward slightly to avoid the bird. Candra stepped forward with her hand outstretched,

"Percy what are you doing?" As she moved the sweets in her pocket rattled again and Percy pinpointed the location of the sound. Excitedly he started nipping and pulling at the pocket of Candra's hoodie trying to get to his treat. His wings were flapping wildly as he pulled. He pecked inside of her pocket trying to pull out of the box. Candra tried to regain her balance as she gently tried to push Percy off her,

"Percy stop i- ahhhh" with a vicious tug Percy had successfully managed to pull the box out of her hoodie and onto the floor spilling beans everywhere. He had also managed to cause Candra to stumble forward, her balance completely lost. Candra felt herself falling but before she fell completely she felt her face make contact with something warm and hands on her arms keeping her steady.

Snape was unsure as to what he should do. Everything had seemed to happen so quickly and now Candra was pressed against him, his hands around her arms the only thing keeping her steady. Her hands were on his chest, clutching at his robe. A small rush of adrenaline was coursing through his veins, if he'd not been there that would have been more bruises to add to her collection. He felt her head against him, right over his heart. His heart that was currently beating slightly faster than normal. All these thoughts had collided through his head at lightning speed, a few seconds at most, before she moved at all. The fall had dazed her slightly and Snape saw the confused look flash across her face before she realised what had happened. The blush spread across her cheeks quickly and she stepped back slightly her hands uncurling themselves from Snape's robes.

He should have let go of her arms, but he couldn't bring himself to. He felt such...warmth for this girl. That was the only way he could put it. It wasn't fatherly, definitely not, but it was protective. He had never seen her talking to anyone, even at meal times. Not ever. She didn't seem to have anyone...she reminded him so much of. Himself.

This in mind he pulled her back towards him, trying not to think with the rational part of his brain. He moved his hands from her arms and moved them instead to her waist. He was taller than her so his arms rode quite high on her waist. His hand snaked up her back so it was laying between her shoulder blades and he pulled her tighter into the hug.

At first Candra's arms hung limply by her sides, not sure what to do with herself. She was shocked at what was happening. Her professor was hugging her. No one hugged her. Ever. Slowly she relaxed, Snape felt her shoulders lose their tenseness. With trepidation she brought her arms up and encircled Snape's neck, instantly pulling them just a little closer. The professor was warm and at this second she felt...safe. Like no one could hurt her in anyway. She felt his head move and was surprised to feel his breath near her ear, sending tingles along the back of her neck and down her spine. She held her own breath as she felt his lips move slightly against her hair as he said softly,

"You don't have to go through all of this alone." She took in a sharp breath not fully sure whether she had heard him right. The comforting feel of his warm breath had been removed but still Candra felt safe. With his words all the memories since her first year at Hogwarts, when she had been initially rejected for something that she couldn't help, came flooding back. Her eyes stung with tears that she tried to hold back. It wasn't for a few seconds, when he felt her head burrow into his shoulder, that Snape realised she was crying.

They were like that for a while, time passed slowly. Snape had allowed his hand to rub smoothing circles on her back as Candra had literally cried on his shoulder. He felt as though a boundary had broken between them, and he wasn't entirely sure that, as a professor, this was a good thing. As a human being however, he was relieved that he'd given her something that she'd obviously needed. When they pulled apart, it was not completely. Candra's hands stayed around his neck and Snape's hands were still around her waist. Candra didn't want to lose the comfort and security she'd felt. Her arms clung to Snape as though he was the only thing keeping her from drowning. She looked up at his face, and avoided his penetrating gaze as she said, "Thank-you". Snape smiled weakly and Candra began to really see him as a human being and not just a professor.

One of his hands came up and a thumb wiped away a stray tear that had managed to escape. She leant into the warmth of his hand and closed her eyes. Her hands dropping down to lay gently on his chest. They both knew that they should move, this could easily turn into something that neither of them were ready for. Snape considered it, he really did. Then he saw the contented look on Candra's face as she leant into his hand. He hadn't seen her look that serene before. It was as though all of her worries were insignificant at that very moment. He couldn't bare to pull away to see loss on her face again, he didn't _want _to move.

Candra opened her eyes, and saw Snape's grey eyes staring back at her. She allowed herself to hold his gaze, her breath hitching slightly as she noticed that his hand was still laid across her cheek. She felt her heart beating faster than usual, and she pressed her hand flat on Snape's chest as though to find out if his was doing the same. His other hand came to rest on her other cheek, her face now cupped in his hands. Candra saw something strange in his eyes, a sort of determination set in his face. She didn't understand, neither did Snape really. The rest of the world faded to a blur around them, paling in significance. It was just them and nothing else mattered. At that moment neither of them cared about consequences; Candra only felt secure and safe and Snape was just happy to give her the comfort she needed. Without either of them really realising it was happening their faces were suddenly inches apart. Candra licked her lips without thinking about it and Snape pulled her just a little closer, his hands still cupping her face. Neither of them knew what was happening, whether it should happen, what was going on. Neither of them cared. Candra was intoxicated by Snape, she could smell his musky comforting scent and her head felt light in the most delicious way. Snape himself was entirely engulfed by Candra, his brain wasn't thinking any more. She smelt like roses and jasmine flowers; light and sensuous. How could nobody see this? The beauty that she had, the vulnerability and behind it a light shining out against the darkness that she faced every day. Even when Snape had seen her after Hunter had 'warned' her she still had a light in her eyes. She didn't allow herself to be defeated, she was doing was Snape never could. She wasn't giving up. He clung to that light as he pulled her just that little bit closer. Close enough that their lips brushed ever so lightly when Candra tilted her head. The small touch made Candra's lip tingle and caused her to breath in sharply. That's when it happened. Snape's lips pressed against hers which were slightly parted. It was a short tender kiss that lasted only a few seconds; but when they pulled apart they were both breathing heavily.

Then as though they both realised what had just happened they practically jumped apart from each other. Candra instantly felt cold and alone again and she put her fingers to her lips as though to feel the ghost of Snape's lips on hers. She'd never kissed anyone before, she'd never expected it to be like that. There were so many emotions running through her head; she didn't know whether to laugh, cry or press herself back against Snape and kiss him again. She looked up at Snape, drawing her mind away from her own thoughts. His eyes were widened from shock it seemed and he ran his hand across his face.

"That was...not...that was not meant to happen," he said in a quiet voice, his cold demeanour creeping back into his stance and his features. She wasn't sure why but she felt her stomach drop. Candra felt all the warmth she had felt before seep away. She pulled herself together and muttered,

"I know, I'm sorry...we shouldn't have..." she glanced at him quickly then moved picking up Percy (with a tut at him for eating nearly all of the beans) to put him back in his cage. He had caused enough trouble for today. When she turned around she full expected the professor to have gone; but he hadn't. He was staring at her, watching her every move. She didn't care, she didn't want to be near him any more. She felt cold and empty inside. Of course it wasn't meant to happen, why would anyone ever want _her_? She was stupid to even think about it for a second. She scooped up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. Avoiding looking at Snape at all she said,

"I have to go. I have...homework." She didn't look up at Snape, but if she had she would have seen a hurt look spread across Snape's face. But she didn't, she assumed his silence furthered the fact that he simply didn't care. She walked towards the door, having to pass Snape as she did. As she walked past he gripped her wrist.

"Don't. We need to-" he began a pitying look in his eyes. Candra was suddenly angry, she didn't want anyone to pity her.

"I understand _professor_," she exaggerated the word speaking what neither of them would admit was wrong with the situation, "I don't wish to be pitied, I'm content with carrying on being alone." With that she pulled away from his grip and walked away.

So many barriers had been broken and so many built up. Snape thought it was probably for the best, he was a professor after all. That should never have happened. But he couldn't forget the last words she said. He wanted to tell her that it wasn't due to pity that he actually wanted to help her and, against his better judgement, he wanted her. Wanted to get to know her and to give her someone to lean on when things got too much. It was a ridiculous notion and he knew it. A teacher and a student. But something about her drew him to her it was the first time that had happened since...a long time ago.

Candra managed to get back to her dorm room before the tears started.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, soooo sorry for it being a while. Just come back off holiday and I've had the worst writers block ever! **

**Just like to say thank you to Amelia for the review ... wasn't sure whether I was going to carry on with this story but if at least one person really likes it then its worth writing! :D **

**Please Read and Review... I really want to know what people think! **

**-SherlockIsMyHero xx**

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><p>Candra didn't see Snape for three days. It wasn't entirely down to her, though she wasn't complaining. She had kissed her Potion's professor. How could she do that? She knew it was so wrong but...no one had ever shown her that sort of affection. She couldn't deny that she was attracted to him, hell half the school were secretly. But it wasn't entirely physical (though again she couldn't deny the shiver of pleasure that had gone down her spine when his lips touched hers) it was something more than that. They were both hurt, had been hurt, by people. Candra didn't need Snape to tell her this you could tell by his cold demeanour and his closed off eyes. She was right of course, and everyone knew how Candra had been hurt. Everyday since her first year, emotionally and physically, the black stares from the other pupils adding to her pain. No one ever spoke up and said, 'Hey leave her alone, what's she ever done to you?' because they knew that they would pay for that. No one took her to one side and said, 'Are you alright?'. She doubted half of them even knew her name.<p>

Even though Candra had (maybe) been avoiding everywhere she knew Snape would go she couldn't avoid eating dinner every night. That Saturday night at dinner Candra was ridiculously nervous. It had only been a few hours since...well she had stormed off after Snape had kissed her. Yes _he'd _kissed her. She was worried about catching his eye at the front of the great hall, she was worried about what she would see in them. She had thought that he actually wanted her, wanted to get to know her. But she saw pity in his eyes and in the way he spoke; and then she knew. Of course he was only trying to make her feel better he _pitied _her. That was almost worse than the punches, the spitting and the constant name calling. Almost, not quite, but nearly. Then again, Candra wasn't aware that she was wrong. How could she have known? So as she stepped into the hall that Saturday she was surprised not to see Snape at the teacher's table. Part of her was relieved of course but the other part, a larger part, was disappointed. Strange really. It was almost as though she had wanted to see him to have the awkward glance that would be inevitable and convince herself that it was real. That what had happened, had _really_ happened and not just occurred within a slightly twisted part of her mind. Maybe that was it. Maybe she was going insane after all the years of barely anyone talking to her, this was frighteningly comforting.

It was Tuesday when she finally saw him again. Hogwarts was a very large school and it was easy to not see someone for almost a whole year in the vast corridors. She had arrived ten minutes early for class, she was the only one there. She entered the classroom and sat down in her seat at the front. She got out her quill and parchment slowly from her bag, set down her text book and waited. Slowly students began filing into the room. The girls who were on the same desk as her sat down and...ignored her completely. What a surprise!

There were five minutes where a steady rumble of noise filled the air of the potions classroom. Candra waited until she heard the door being thrown open again. The atmosphere in the room changed, the low rumble quietened and all that could be heard was the echoing footsteps of the potions master walking into his classroom. As he reached the front Candra put her head down, so she didn't see the way his eyes paused on her face willing her to look up. If he could just look at her maybe she would see...but at that moment she didn't.

Candra did breathe a sigh of relief, slightly to her annoyance, that he was okay. She was slightly worried that maybe something had been wrong with him, maybe he was ill? Or maybe he was just busy, Candra was keen to know but not keen to ask. Candra was interrupted in her thoughts by Snape addressing the class,

"I assume you have all completed you're essays. If you could come to the front and hand them in now." Candra's heart jumped in her chest. She'd forgotten, she never forgot homework. Ever. Even if she said so herself she was probably most of her teachers best students. She always handed in her work (and usually extra) it wasn't as though she really had anything else to do. So how could she forget her potions homework? It was her favourite subject, she seemed to have a natural knack for potions making and she enjoyed learning how the different ingredients put together could either kill or cure you. She couldn't have forgotten. She walked up to the front with the others, deliberately hanging round near the back (but not too close to Hunter). What was she going to say? She didn't have much time to think before she was at the front of the line.

"Miss Jones, you're hands seem to be empty." Candra blushed and looked at Snape properly for the first time. He looked as though he hadn't slept, although she could be imagining that, and his eyes were closed off and cold once again. Candra mumbled too quietly for him to hear, blushing profusely.

"I'm sorry Miss Jones, I didn't hear you. Have you got your essay with you?"

"N-no sir," said Candra quietly. She could have sworn she heard Snape sigh before he said,

"20 points from Ravenclaw and detention tonight in my office. I will not accept homework not being done in my class Miss Jones. Now take your seat." The whole class were looking at her as she slowly sat down at her seat. She heard Hunter snigger at the back of the row and tried her best to ignore him; and the look of disappointment on Snape's face.

The lesson drew out slowly. They were brewing a sleeping draught that was slightly more complex than they'd done in recent years (due to the stronger effect it had). Candra found it interesting and finished hers before the rest of the class, left to make notes about the draught until the end of the lesson. She didn't notice the amount of times that Snape glanced her way or the impressed look on his face when she'd finished first.

She left the classroom slowly, not wanting to walk past Hunter. She looked round as she walked out of the classroom and judging the coast to be clear she rushed out into the corridor. Then she felt an hand grip the top of her arm tightly, pulling her into a deserted end of the corridor. She instantly felt her stomach drop, a sicky feeling overcoming her. Her heartbeat increased making her feel light headed and much hotter than she'd felt before. She was slammed against the wall and felt the bricks graze her face as it scraped across them. Then hunter was in front of her, an evil look on his face. He grabbed her hands, stopping her from fighting back and pressed himself against her. Putting his mouth near to her ear he whispered menacingly,

"Did you really think that Snape would stop me for long you piece of dirt?...Well?" Candra shook her head slowly,

"Now I've got a lot of catching up to do haven't I?" He stepped back from her and slapped her hard round the face. She gasped as the stinging sensation spread across her face. It took her a moment to realise that Hunter had drawn his wand and that his two accomplishes had evil smiles on their faces.

"Go on Hunter, she deserves it!" one of them said. Hunter smiled,

"Lucky for me, I've had time to do some research...but I guess that's unlucky for you isn't it mudblood?" He pointed his wand at her arm and murmured something under his breath that Candra couldn't make out. Soon enough though she felt it's effect, she felt it as her wrist bone cracked. She screamed. Hunter and his friends ran off, laughing.

Her wrist was broken...badly. What spell had Hunter used? How had he done that? The pain was so intense that Candra found it hard to see straight. Her next lesson, the last lesson of the day, was a study period so she decided to skip it and head straight for the common room. She struggled to make it up to the Ravenclaw common room, every time someone bumped into her arm the pain intensified and she felt herself swaying on her feet. She found that if she kept her wrist and her fingers still that the pain was not as bad, almost bearable. When she got to the common room she was so relieved that she almost ran to her dormitory; sitting on her bed she tried to think of a plan. Obviously she couldn't go to Madam Pompfrey, how would she explain how she broke her wrist? Instead she decided to improvise. She went through her 'muggle clothes' until she found a large scarf that, unfolded, was a square. With great difficulty, and a lot of pain, she tied a knot in the opposite corners. Tears streaming down her face she put the handmade sling round her head and laid her arm inside of it. Having something to support it on was instantly a relief, but it was still throbbing painfully.

Unable to sleep and in too much pain to eat Candra just sat on her bed until both her last lesson and dinner was over. The shock had worn off and left her slightly shaky, leaving her hands trembling. That's when she remembered that she had to go to detention tonight with Snape. For a full five minutes she debated not going, after all he would only ask questions. Then she realised that skipping a detention with Snape was something that _no one_ at school had ever done, and would probably be a lot more trouble than it was worth. As she walked down to his office, which was near the potions classrooms, she tried to think of a convincing lie to tell him about her arm. She hadn't removed her D.I.Y sling as it was relieving a lot of the pain but she had debated removing a dozen times on the way. She stood outside his office door and knocked on the door hesitantly. It opened after a few seconds of waiting and Snape's eyes flicked to her arm before he motioned for her to enter the room. She waited patiently for him to close the door before taking the seat that was offered for her opposite his desk.

"Are you going to give me an explanation as to why you didn't hand in your homework Miss Jones?" Snape said when they were both sat down. Candra felt her face flush, ashamed at herself.

"No Professor, I forgot. I apologise," she said looking down at the floor. She heard Snape sigh and looked up to see him moving forward in his seat.

"Well then, will you give me an explanation as to why your arm is in a sling?" he said motioning to her right arm.

She'd been dreading this question, yet she knew it was coming. How could he ignore her arm being in a sling? She hesitated, unsure whether or not to lie,

"I fell professor," she stated, a weak lie even to her own ears. Snape rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger and once again sighed,

"Is it broken?" he asked, just an edge of concern in his voice. Candra nodded. His hand went through his hair before he stood up and stood in front of her.

"May I take a look?" he asked, without waiting for an answer he undid the makeshift sling. His fingers brushed against Candra's neck and despite everything Candra felt a shiver of pleasure bolt down her spine. This was forgotten quickly when Candra felt Snape's hand replace the comfort of the sling. She winced slightly in pain and Snape's eyes instantly darted to her face, his brow furrowed with concern. He gently felt up the length of her wrist and her hand, checking the swelling. By the end Candra felt tears falling down her face despite her best efforts to hold them back. Snape pulled back, unhappy that her wrist was in fact broken, when he noticed the tears on her cheeks. He felt a tug in his chest, wanting to comfort her once again. Then he remembered what she had said before, and he pulled back. He didn't want her to think, once again, that this was pity. Yet she was crying, right in front of him, because she was in pain. Before he could let the thoughts in his head overwhelm him Snape put his hand up to her face and brushed away a tear with his thumb. Candra bit her lip, holding back another wave of tears. Snape spoke softly and quietly,

"I do not pity you Candra," then as soon as the words had left his mouth he had risen and gone to a small cupboard in his office, leaving Candra to wonder whether he had actually spoken at all. He pulled out a small bottle of green liquid and gave it to Candra , it shone slightly. Candra noticed that there was a stopper in the top and looked at Snape helplessly. Realising his mistake he took it from her again, his fingers brushing hers, and removed it. Handing it back to her he said,

"Drink it all, it may hurt slightly." Candra hesitated before gulping the bottle down in almost one mouthful. It stung her throat slightly and tasted bitter. As soon as Candra had swallowed all of it she felt a surge of intense pain in her wrist...and promptly fainted.

She woke up a few minutes later on a hard surface. There was something soft beneath her head however that she appreciated and a heat beside her that she instinctively nuzzled towards. She took a few seconds to become aware of her surroundings. She was on the floor and there was a pillow from one of the seats under her head, the warmth she had nestled towards had been Snape sat beside her on the floor. She looked up at him and his eyes softened,

"That can be a side affect. Does your wrist feel better?" he asked. She flexed her fingers and felt no pain so she chanced it by pushing her self up into a sitting position. It was slightly stiff but it didn't hurt.

"It's much better, thank you," she said looking at the professor and smiling weakly. Her head felt a little light and she didn't trust herself to stand up just yet. It was then she noticed how odd this situation was, she was sat next to her professor on the floor. She waited for him to stand up and say something like, 'well on with the detention then' (probably not in those exact words) but he didn't. Candra felt quite content, the silence only on the verge of becoming uncomfortable. She felt herself sway slightly, her head still fuzzy. In a second she felt a hand on her back, steadying her, not allowing her to fall backwards. That's when she decided she needed to say something.

"Why – why are you so nice to me?" she said quietly, blushing as she spoke. Snape looked quite shocked at the question and looked at her intently before answering.

"Why wouldn't I be? You're a very intelligent girl who has a flair for potions, in fact you're probably my best student." Candra felt herself swell with pride slightly before an odd sense of sadness came over her,

"So, it's only because I'm good at potions then?" she said so quietly that Snape had to strain to hear her.

He could have shook her, screamed at her.

"No, no it isn't just because you're good at potions. I've been where you've been. I know what you're going through, I want to help you get through it." Candra felt quite sorry for Snape in that moment, she never knew that he'd been bullied in school (why would she?) and the comment instantly wanted to make her know more. Then a peculiar feeling swept through her; someone actually wanted to _help_ her. She couldn't remember the last time that had happened.

"Nobody ever wants to help me..." she said, a statement that made Snape's heart sink. Snape's hand, which was still on her back, worked its way up to her neck. Then it was stroking through her hair in comforting gesture,

"I do." Candra looked at him, stared into his eyes looking for traces of pity; she didn't see any. The air around them seemed to change once again. Candra twisted slightly to put her now uninjured hand on his chest, using the other one to keep her steady on the ground. Snape stopped stroking her hair and instead laid his hand on the side of her face once again. Then they were moving towards each other, as though an unseen force was pulling them together. Candra could feel Snape's breath on her face, warm and comforting.

"Thank you" Candra whispered, their lips so close that Snape felt the movement of her lips against his own. Just seconds later their lips finally met. They stayed like that for a few seconds then everything seemed to intensify. Candra felt it, like a sudden need to be closer. She pulled herself towards him more wanting to be nearer to him. Her lips moved and parted against his and after a couple of moments of doubt Candra felt Snape's do the same. It was soft and gentle, but there was an underlying passion. It was about comfort, friendship, hurt and loss; and Candra lost herself in it. All she could focus on was the feel of Snape's lips upon hers; the way she could only smell him and the beating of his heart against her hand. When it came to an end Candra felt content and happy...but she wanted more. After a few seconds of them both breathing slightly heavier than they had been doing before Candra said,

"Professor, I think I can stand up now." Although her legs felt a lot more weak than they hand done before and she wasn't entirely sure that she was telling the truth. As they stood up, their bodies were still close to one another. Snape's hands were on her hips pulling her closer. They're faces just inches apart,

"Professor I think we-" Candra started before being cut off by Snape,

"Severus..." he said softly, "my name's Severus." Candra blushed and swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. She licked her lips before saying,

"Severus," she let his name slide along her tongue, lingering on every syllable. The sound of his name from her lips sent a thud of emotion through Snape causing his breath to hitch in his throat. His eyes met with hers, so green – shining with emotion, and he let their lips touch again. He wanted to savour the sweet taste of her, like vanilla and warm days walking on the beach. He hadn't felt like this in so long, the inexplicable feeling of wanting to be so close to someone. He felt her mouth open against his and a small moan escaped her, causing him to stop thinking for a few seconds and lose himself again in her kiss. He kissed her softly, his hands once again coming up to cup her face. He tried to poor in all the emotion he'd been feeling, the protectiveness and the attraction, into the kiss. It trailed off slowly. He laid another gentle kiss on her lips and they were left with their foreheads touching, their breath mingling with each others. It was a few moments before Snape pulled back and let go off Candra completely, causing her to feel cold once again.

"I can't Candra," Snape said unwillingly, "you're my student and-"

"I don't care." Candra piped up, a surge of confidence overcoming her.

"That's not the poi-"

"Let me finish please," Candra said, determined to get her point across. Snape backed up and leant against the wall, waving his hand in a resigned act for her to continue. Candra took in a deep breath before continuing,

"Well it's ridiculous really," she avoided Snape's eyes as she carried on, "but ever since first year people – Hunter – having been picking on me. Mainly because I'm a...a filthy little mudblood," she dug her fingers into her hands and spat out the words, barely noticing Snape flinch at them coming out of her mouth. She continued, keeping her eyes on the floor,

"Well when Hunter picks on you, it's as though you have some sort of disease or something. No one dares to help me or even talk to me just in case that means that he starts on them. Still it would be nice for someone – Anyway no one has been nice to me since first year, or spoken to me...until you. To be honest I couldn't care less that you're a teacher, for some unknown reason you're nice to me, although I don't really deserve it and -"

"You do deserve it," Snape cut in, a slight edge of anger in his voice. Candra was shocked at his sudden outburst, and embarrassed as she realised how much she'd just revealed. She looked at the floor and twiddled her thumbs. After a long pause she said quietly,

"It's just nice for someone to be nice to me...especially as it's you." Candra heard movement in the room, but didn't look up her embarrassment almost crippling. Then she felt arms wrap around her and she leant in to the warmth and musky smell of Severus Snape.


	5. Chapter 5

**Because I forgot last time I want to thank everyone who's added this story to their favourites list...but I would still love more reviews to know what everyone thinks :D they'd make me very happy...**

**Sorry this chapter's taken so long (found it quite hard to write) but I will try and get another chapter up by tomorrow to make up for it :D **

**-SherlockIsMyHero**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Harry Potter series as I am not a writing God like J.K Rowling (unfortunately)**

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><p>Candra had enjoyed the warm feeling of Snape wrapped around her, she felt as though that was all she needed right now. Him and her together in a tight embrace. Then Snape stepped back glancing at a clock on the wall.<p>

"You should go, it's getting late," he said. Candra nodded and reluctantly started to walk towards the door when Snape grabbed her arm, a strange look on his face.

"Come here tomorrow after dinner," he said almost avoiding her gaze, "we should probably talk." Candra nodded and smiled at him, he let go of her arm and she when towards the door again. When her hand was on the handle she turned to him and said,

"Goodnight...Severus." Unsure whether she had pushed a boundary and unwilling to see his reaction she got out of his office as fast as she could and rushed to her dorms.

Snape tried to ignore the warm feeling in the pit of his stomach that he'd felt when Candra said his name, and all he could do was whisper 'Goodnight Candra' to an empty room before he retired for the night. As he laid down to sleep he tried not to dream about emerald eyes and shocking red hair.

The next day passed rather quickly for Candra, she woke up with strange butterflies in her stomach and they stayed there until dinner. She could hardly remember what had happened in any of her lessons that day. She felt slightly sick with nerves as she remembered that she was going to Professor Snape's office after dinner; nervous about possibilities and unspoken words. She barely touched to food on her plate and tried to stop herself from glancing at the dark haired professor sat at the table at the front of the room. When she left she decided to go and change before heading to Snape's office. She opted for some jeans and a vest top and then threw a hoodie on over the top that had sleeves that were too long, just right for curling her hands in when she got nervous. Which when she was around Snape seemed to be a lot.

She finally gained the courage to go down to Snape's office half an hour after dinner. She knocked on the door softly and waited. She heard the soft sounds of movement from the other side of the door and then the door slowly clicked open. She saw Snape and he stepped aside so that she could walk in. She heard a voice behind her say,

"You can take a seat. If you'd wish," as the door was softly closed. She sat down and sat quite stiffly. She noticed Snape sitting down at the chair behind his desk.

"You didn't eat much at dinner," he said softly. She looked up at him, her brow furrowed with confusion,

"You were watching me at dinner?" she asked. Snape's eyes widened slightly and if she hadn't known better Candra would say that he flushed slightly.

"I believe I may have mentioned that I'm concerned for you before, Candra. You need to eat, are you okay?" Candra blushed knowing that the reason she hadn't eaten was sitting in front of her.

"Candra?..."

"I was...nervous about umm coming here..." Candra blushed furiously, not even sure why she was actually telling him this. Snape smiled slightly, he'd dropped his exterior of cold potions professor and was trying to be himself.

"I make you nervous now?" he asked.

"Of course!" Candra burst out almost laughing, without even thinking about it. They both looked at each other and then they were laughing, and Candra was enthralled by the low rich sound.

It had been a long time since Snape had really laughed and the sound was sort of foreign to his ears. But seeing and hearing Candra laugh was something that he could put up with all the time. Her face shone and her whole face seemed to be wiped of the worried expression that she usually wore there. As the laughter died away they both sat there, rather awkwardly. Neither of them really knowing what to say, out of the million things that really needed to be said. Candra broke the silence hesitantly,

"Could you maybe not sit there?" she asked . Snape looked slightly confused, Candra realised the question in his face and carried on,

"Umm, it makes me feel like I'm in trouble or something. I'm not in trouble am I?" she asked, running through things in her mind that she might have done.

"No, no of course not. I'll – I'll move," he said. He was so used to sitting behind his desk, using it to distance himself from his students. Now he seemed to be trying to do the exact opposite. He sat down in the chair next to Candra, feeling distinctly uncomfortable. He wasn't used to giving into anyone, and here he was giving in straight away. He didn't even question it. He shook his head and mentally scolded himself.

"Is that better?" he asked in an almost teasing way. She smiled at him,

"Yes, I like that better." He looked over at her and she looked away, blushing furiously. He pulled his chair across so that it was right next to hers,

"How are you?" he said softly as though fearing someone would hear him talk.

"I'm fine," Candra said stiffly.

"No, I mean it Candra. Your wrist was broken last night, how are you?" She looked at him wearily.

"Honestly?" she said, "I'm fed up. I'm sick and tired of being picked on, it's constant. Last night I was...I was genuinely terrified. If he can do that without even touching me...what else can he do? When is this going to end?" she felt herself close to tears, and tried to blink them away. What she had implied was obvious. When would Hunter be done with her? Candra failed at holding back the tears and once again she found herself crying in front of the potions professor. Embarrassed, she wiped the tears away with the sleeve of her hoodie. Snape reached across and laid a hand on her shoulder, Candra looked away trying to hold back the tears that were sliding down her face.

"It seems," Snape began, "that this is becoming quite a habit of yours." Candra looked at him questioningly,

"I say something, and you start to cry. It-"

"Well maybe that's because my life's a piece of crap," Candra cut in, spitting the words out with more venom than she intended.

"Candra, don't say -" Snape said trying to meet her gaze.

"No! No I'll say what I like. You – you have absolutely no idea," Candra let out a shrill laugh that sounded almost manic,

"You know, you're the only friend I have. Are you?" she looked at Snape inquisitively, "I don't even know what _this-_" she waved her hand between the two of them, "is. I'm trying to understand, but you've got to tell me. What do you want from me?" she slumped back in her chair looking utterly defeated; she could feel herself loosing a grip on reality and she needed something to hold on to.

"Candra. _This_, is whatever you want it to be. I'll be your friend, I'd be your- well whatever you need. Whatever you want. I'm here. I understand. I really do, I wish I could tell you but-just trust me I understand what you're going through." Candra looked at Snape questioningly, a hundred questions on her lips. What did he mean? She looked at him and he looked haunted, as though part of his mind was somewhere else. She realised that she now had some control; what did she want Snape to be?

There was silence between them as Candra considered countless different possibilities.

"Can I call you Severus?" she asked, the name still feeling strange on her tongue. Snape looked at her with a strange look in his eyes,

"I would like that very much," he said his lips twitching upwards slightly in what was almost a smile. Candra smiled widely at him, make him smile completely in return. He couldn't stop himself from smiling when she smiled. Her face became serious again as she seemed to ponder something before asking him another question,

"Will you tell me one day?" she said timidly.

"Tell you what?" Snape asked.

"What happened to you," she said slowly, her eyes searing into Snape's. He sighed and tried to avoid Candra's gaze instead looking around the room. After a small time of an awkward silence Snape allowed his gaze to return to Candra and said,

"I promise. One day." Candra smiled at him, and some of the walls that they had both built up around themselves crashed to the floor, bringing them closer to knowing each other.

They sat for a while in a comfortable silence before Snape sighed and stood up off his seat. Candra watched his movements, and when shocked when he stood in front of her and held out his hand. She took it tentatively and allowed him to pull her off her seat. He pulled her forwards until he could wrap his arms around her, something he'd been itching to do since she'd walked through the door. Candra put her arms around Snape's waist and allowed herself to relax into the warmth of his embrace. Snape allowed his hands to wander down Candra's sides, feeling the different curves of her body. They went down to her hips where they stayed and he pulled slightly to bring them even closer together. Candra looked up at Snape, trying to drown herself in his grey eyes that stared back at her with adoration.

"Kiss me?" Candra whispered a flush colouring her cheeks. Snape obliged pressing his lips to Candra's gently. Candra pushed back increasing the pressure, willing Snape to deepen the kiss. Once again Snape gave in to her, licking along her bottom lip he waited for her mouth to open against his so that he could meet his tongue with hers. He explored her mouth with his tongue and Candra met his passion with her own. He tugged at the bottom of her hoodie and Candra pulled back to remove it quickly, all of a sudden far too hot. She threw it on the floor, her vest top was slightly hitched up and Snape ran his hand along the exposed flesh. Candra made a small sound as Snape trailed kisses along her cheek bone. His hands explored further up, under her top, until they reached her waist. Gently he guided her so that she was in front of his desk. She took the hint and sat on the desk, wrapping her legs around Snape's waist. It was Snape's turn to moan as their groins met each other and he planted a kiss on her neck. He licked the place where his lips had been and Candra's hips jerked against his as he did.

"Severus," she said in something which was somewhere between a whisper and a moan. Candra's voice dragged straight down to his groin and he felt his excitement growing. His lips claimed Candra's again and Candra met Snape's tongue with her own willingly. They battled for dominance each exploring the others mouths. Snape moaned when Candra's nails dragged through his hair, running against his scalp. His hips bucked against hers and Candra gasped as a shot of pleasure ran through her. She grasped Snape's shoulders and repeated the action thrusting herself against Snape; wanting to be closer, to not have the barrier of clothes between them. Snape could feel himself getting carried away, he hadn't been with anyone like this for so long. He finally allowed himself to pull away from her lips,

"It's getting late," he said, sounding more breathless than he would have liked. Candra ignored his comment and kissed him. She gently bit his bottom lip and then slid her tongue along it.

"Candra," Snape said, pulling back from the kiss. She looked at him and shook her head. Her lips were a dark pink and slightly swollen, Snape smiled slightly knowing that that was down to him. He was achingly hard and could easily continue what they had started and Candra still pressed against him was doing to nothing to ease the pool of desire in the pit of his stomach.

Snape disentangled himself from her and picked up her hoodie from the floor. He passed it to her carefully, not trusting himself if he were to touch her again. She pulled it on quickly and got off the desk, smoothing her clothes down as she did.

"Goodnight Candra," Snape said softly. She looked at him and smiled weakly. She turned to leave, but Snape grabbed her wrist pulling her back. He couldn't stop himself. He gently laid a kiss on her lips, he just needed one more. With a sigh he let go of her, desire still urging him to lock the door and throw her down on the desk. Within a couple of minutes he could be tasting her, touching her. He tried to push the thoughts out of his head and barely even realised that Candra had reached the door until she turned and said,

"Goodnight Severus," she smiled at him, a glint in her eyes that hadn't been there before, and left closing the door behind her.

"No Candra, wait..." he said, far too late. He sighed again and rubbed his hand across his face.

He walked to the door and locked it, then slumped in the chair behind his desk. He closed his eyes and saw Candra. He could hear her saying his name, feel her hands running through his hair. He became suddenly aware of his erection, that was uncomfortably hard and straining against his trousers. He undid them quickly and soon his hand was gripped around the base of it. He sighed and allowed his thoughts to wander as he slowly started stroking the length of himself. She was a constant in his thoughts; her eyes, her lips still swollen from kissing, her hair, that intoxicating perfume she wore that invaded his senses. He rubbed his thumb over the head and shuddered, his stroking increased in pace and he felt himself getting closer. His free hand gripped the leather of the chair and with a couple more strokes he came hard against his hand. His hips bucked slightly, her name a whisper on his lips.


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay so, another Chapter up quickly like I promised :D this one's a little different, but it's something that I felt like I needed to put in. Hope you like it. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters **

**For every review a house elf gets a piece of clothing, come on guys tell me what you think. Lets help free all the dobby's out there. :D **

**-SherlockIsMyHero**

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><p>Snape had officially decided that when that wretched Hunter boy left Hogwarts, that he was going to personally hunt him down and kill him. No, he was going to do better than that. He was going to make him live on the same street as him and every time he saw him he was going to beat the living daylights out of him. That would last, oh, about seven years. Then Snape would kill him. Slowly; and honestly Snape wasn't sure if even that would be enough to quell the anger he felt every day when he saw that a new bruise had appeared on Candra's body. It was mainly her face (he knew she wouldn't 'tell' why should he be careful?) but Snape had noticed some on her arms when she had visited his office one night. She'd winced when his hand had skimmed her waist, but wouldn't let him inspect her bruises. She wouldn't let him anywhere near them in fact. Before she had willingly allowed him to heal them (maybe not completely willingly, but without much fuss at all). Now when he offered she would change the subject quickly, or she would press herself against him and kiss him roughly until he'd nearly forgotten what they'd been talking about. This annoyed Snape. He was not the kind of man who gave in easily; not to anyone. There were, it seemed, only two people who he would ever give into; and emerald eyes were something that they'd got in common. Although one of them hadn't been there <em>to <em>give into for a very long time now.

Snape tried to redirect his train of thought, trying to focus on the papers he was trying to mark. Honestly, you'd have thought half of these pupils had never seen a cauldron before let alone try to make anything in one. He was disturbed after about half an hour by a knock on his door; he'd been expecting company so he swiftly put away his papers and answered the knock.

"Ahh Severus, good evening," Albus Dumbledore said with a smile, allowing himself entrance into Snape's office. Snape stood aside to let him through,

"Good evening to you too headmaster. Are you well?" he asked as the aged wizard took a seat on one of the plush chairs in the office. Dumbledore searched his pockets as he replied,

"Oh yes Severus, healthy as a centaur." He made a small exclamation as he found what he was looking for. He pulled out a clear plastic bag of sweets (that was already half empty) and plucked one out popping it in his mouth. He thrust the bag towards Snape who looked inquisitively at him,

"Sherbet Lemons Severus, I really am rather fond of them if I do say so." Snape graciously declined and took his seat behind his desk.

There was silence as the headmaster finished his sweet, putting the packet back into a pocket in his robes as though to avoid further temptation.

"Well," he said patting his knees and peering at Snape over his half moon spectacles, "I assume you asked me here for a reason?" Snape had been dreading this moment, he was going against a promise he'd made, he wasn't sure he could do it.

"Would you like a drink headmaster?" Snape asked, avoiding the question until a time when he found himself able to answer.

"Well I can't say no to a small glass of mead Severus. If not a small tot of firewhisky would be suitable," the old mans eye's gleamed with a sort of mischievousness that only came with old age. Snape went to a cupboard on the far side of the room and fetched them both a small measure of firewhisky (well, small to Dumbledore's standards) and passed one of the glasses to the headmaster before resuming his seat behind the desk. Snape took a sip, feeling the liquid burn down his throat, before warming his stomach. Once Dumbledore had nearly finished his drink, which admittedly didn't take very long at all, he spoke once again,

"Now I think I must insist that you tell me why you wished to see me Severus. As much as I enjoy your company, you did say that there was something important you needed to talk to me about." Snape sighed, he had to tell him...it was too late now. His and Candra's relationship (if that's what you would call it) had taken some interesting turns over the past couple of weeks. It was rare for there to be more than two nights between Candra coming in to visit Snape. This usually ended up in a rather intimate session ('making out' was what Snape had heard the kids were calling it these days) but a lot of the time it ended with them just talking. Candra able to talk to someone about her feelings or just about the type of day she'd had. Every time she came however, she seemed to have another injury. Another bruise, a sprained wrist, a cut, a scratch, a graze. A couple of nights before Candra had had a burn across her left wrist that was red and sore. It must have been incredibly painful, but Candra still wouldn't allow Snape to heal it; even though it was definitely going to scar if left. She dismissed his requests and ended up walking out of the room altogether, excuses about homework being muttered. He didn't understand. What he did know however was that things were getting out of hand, and it was becoming more and more dangerous for Candra to have this secret. So he decided to tell the only man he really trusted.

"Well headmaster I have some concerns about a particular student," Snape said, talking slowly as though the words were lead in his mouth.

"What student would this be Severus?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

"Candra Jones professor." Dumbledore's eyes flashed recognition before he nodded at Snape to continue.

"I believe that...that she is being bullied," he said, the word feeling as though it didn't sum up what Hunter was doing to her.

"I had come to that conclusion myself Severus, though I assumed that you were...handling the situation." Snape looked at the headmaster, his brow furrowed.

"I do have eyes, Severus. Every teacher in the school, I'm sure, notices the bruises on that poor girl. I have also noticed that she doesn't interact with any other students, she is the only one that not once have I seen talking to any one. Yet still she doesn't talk to any member of staff, I find that odd. I assumed, you being one of her main professor's, that she may have spoken to you." Snape's mind was reeling with the realisation that the headmaster knew a lot more about the students of the school than any one gave him credit for. Despite his age Severus could probably guarantee that he could recognise any student of Hogwarts and know who they were friends with and what lessons they were apt at. Though honestly this didn't shock Snape as much as the revelation that Dumbledore seemed to know that Candra had been speaking to him about her problems.

"Professor Dumbledore, I will admit that I have spoken to Candra about her problem but-"

"I believe that you both could learn from one another Severus, you need a friend as much as she does. I don't believe that there is anyway to fix the situation," he said calmly. Snape's first emotion of confusion was quickly drowned by anger. 'Nothing he could do?'

"You could expel him, that awful Hunter boy. He has half the school under his spell, that you are fully aware of I'm sure. Get rid of him. That would solve the problem," Snape yelled. Yes he yelled, he didn't realise at what point of his statement he had begun to yell but by the end of it he was definitely shouting.

Dumbledore just sat patiently for a moment, his face showing no sort of emotion. He took a sip of his drink before talking to Snape again,

"Then someone else would replace him Severus. Surely you know as well as anyone how these teenagers mind's work. If he gets expelled it will be Candra who bares the brunt of it from his friends. That is far more dangerous, in my mind, than expelling Hunter. Don't you think?" No. Snape didn't think, he just knew he wanted the boy out of the school, as far away from Candra as possible. The rational part of his mind knew that Dumbledore did possibly have a point, that there would always be someone who would replace Hunter; but the irrational part of Snape's brain was screaming and yelling 'Can you not see what he's doing to her he's killing her slowly and you want to fucking keep him here?'. Instead he replied with,

"Yes professor. Of course." Dumbledore eyed him suspiciously, before standing up slowly.

"I should be going, lots of important things to do. Be careful Severus." Within moments the old wizard was gone and Snape was left in his office alone.

Still incredibly mad he finished the firewhisky he'd poured early and then went to retrieve another one. Not only had he broken Candra's trust by telling the headmaster (who apparently already knew anyway) but he'd also achieved absolutely nothing for it. He'd not got Candra any safer than she was the last time he saw her. Angry at himself and at Dumbledore he gulped down two more glasses of firewhisky before he finally contemplated what exactly Dumbledore had meant when he'd told him to, "Be careful."

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><p><strong>Would just like to point out that I love writing with Dumbledore :D <strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm shocked. COME ON GUYS; JUST REVIEW! its not that hard -.-**

**This story is awesome and i really want you to continue writing.**

**Severus is completely ooc, but i love that soft side and i love candra :D**  
><strong>they're so cute :3<strong>

**but aren't they kinda frustrated by the constant sexual tension? i mean 2**  
><strong>weeks of intimate making out... severus is only a man!xD<strong>

**please write another chapter!i'm awaiting the alert.*.* here you have some**  
><strong>cookies for your muse xD *toss*<strong>

**greets from germany**

_**Whoever wrote this review I love you :3...and thanks for the cookies... I friggin' love cookies! :D Yes I think Severus is totally frustrated but I think he's been sexually frustrated for the majority of his life, he's never had the one girl he really wanted so I think he's just got really good at hiding it! **_

_**I'm sooo sorry that I've not put another chapter up for aages but there's been school and computer issues and everything just got on top of me :(. I would LOVE some reviews, I want to know what you guys think, what you like...what you don't like. It's my first fic some criticism would help :D **_

_**I love everyone who takes the time to read this (also sorry this one's a bit shorter than some of the others. I'm also sorry for this big rambly bit before the chapter :D) **_

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><p>Rough hands were pushing and pulling at her. Kicking, punching, scratching. Cruel laughter echoing in the hall around her; she could feel the tears running down her cheeks, she could even taste them. Yet she knew this was a dream. Candra knew she was just recounting a horrible occurrence in her subconscious. What she was feeling had happened at least a week ago, it wasn't happening now. She was safe in bed. She could wake up now; but she couldn't. The pain wouldn't stop, they wouldn't leave her alone. Oh God, why couldn't they just leave her alone? Why was nobody helping? Then a cool presence interrupted the nightmare. She couldn't see their face but she felt safe. The laughing and the pain went away and was replaced with calm and...something else...happiness? She reached out for her saviour and they took her into their arms, taking her away from the people who had tortured her.<p>

Candra woke from the dream with a start. She could remember pain and then...well. There wasn't any, someone had saved her. She tried to remember the specifics but already the dream was evaporating as she was becoming more awake. Rubbing her eyes she sat up in bed. It was Saturday, if she remembered rightly and another Hogsmeade trip. She felt slight delight at that. A thought of spending the day with Snape flitted through her mind. Candra shook her head, pushing thoughts of the potions professor out of her mind. No she would go see Percy instead, as she usually did on days like this. She hadn't been to see him since the last Hogsmeade trip and she felt bad, so within fifteen minutes of her waking up she was dressed and heading towards the owlry. She wasn't particularly hungry so she didn't bother with breakfast (she also didn't want to bump into Hunter in the great hall) instead choosing to enjoy the time she had alone.

When she reached the owlry she made a beeline for Percy's cage and let him out quickly. He swooped around her and gave her fingers an affectionate nibble before he noticed something that he found much more interesting by the door. He flew past Candra to the source of what had caught his attention and Candra turned round to follow his flight path. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw a familiar figure standing by the door. Percy was seated on his shoulder and nuzzling his beak into the potion master's hair as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Percy!" Candra cried out, "Get down! What have I told you?" Percy looked at her with disdain and decided that he personally didn't give a monkeys what she had told him, he was going to stay right where he was. Candra met his stare with her own (which honestly was pretty intimidating) but he still refused to budge. She finally looked across at Snape, but didn't meet his eye instead preferring to stare intently at his shoulder,

"I'm so sorry, he isn't normally this bad." Snape smiled, though Candra didn't see it,

"Its quite alright. I used to have an owl just like him..." Snape looked at the owl perched on his shoulder and stroked it's stomach, his mind flitting briefly back to his days at Hogwarts.

"Really?" Candra asked, finally looking him in the eye. Her eyes had brightened at being allowed a little snippet of Snape's life outside of being a teacher,

"Yes, Phoenix was his name. He was a lovely friend." Snape smiled at her and Candra allowed herself to smile back.

"Hmm, I really don't know what I'd do without Percy," Candra said. With this Percy swiftly changed his allegiance and nipped Candra's fingers before sitting himself down on the bench beside her. There was a silence that was heavy with words that needed to be said. As was usual Snape was the one to break the silence.

"How's your arm?" he asked, concern furrowing his brow.

"I'm coping," Candra replied shortly, ignoring the pain that was still there in her arm. The burn wasn't healing for some reason and the pain was...unpleasant.

"Let me see," Snape said, his voice was gentle and calm and Candra just wanted to give in. But she couldn't. An uneasy feeling grew in the pit of her stomach at Hunters last warning and she closed her eyes and breathed in deeply before saying,

"No. You can't help me."

When Snape spoke again it held an iciness that sent shivers down Candra's spine,

"What did he do Candra? What did he say?" He'd moved closer to her now, Candra could feel the heat that emanated from him. The heat that she just wanted to fling herself against and forget about everything.

"He...he didn't say anything. I don't want your help," the words didn't hold as much conviction as she would have liked and the lie tasted sour on her tongue. Snape obviously didn't believe her. He stretched out his hand as though he was going to comfort her and then thought better of it.

"Candra, you know all I want to do is help you. Please, you've got to let me in." Candra softened, she couldn't help it. She didn't want to be on her own, of course she didn't. Who did?

"He said that if I ran to you again...he'd make sure it was the last time I did." She whispered the last part, almost in the same way that Hunter had whispered it menacingly in her ear just nights before.

"I guess," she said, the words spilling out now, her brain unable to stop them, "that having me healed, having his...marks taken off me is taking all the fun out of it. I think that's what makes it fun isn't it? Being able to see the pain he's cau-" Candra didn't get to finish her sentence before warmth was surrounding her, that familiar musky smell that she'd missed. She allowed her hands to wrap around Snape's waist and laid her head against his chest.

"I won't let him do that to you," Snape said as he lightly brushed his hand through Candra's hair. Candra felt herself relax, the soothing sound of Snape's breathing and his hand through her hair lulling her into a sense of security. She couldn't help the grains of panic that were forming in her mind, '_what if you're not there to help?' _

She stepped back from the warmth that she craved so badly,

"I'm still not going to let you help you know..." she said softly. Snape let his arms drop away from her and ran his hand through his hair sighing loudly.

"Severus," she said slowly, the name still feeling slightly foreign on her tongue, "I've coped with this for a long time without you. I can't...I'm scared. Is that what you want to hear? I'm terrified because...he's not going to stop." Snape looked at her pleadingly. The memories of the years of bullying that he'd endured at school flitting through his mind. He knew how she felt, how evil children could truly be. He sighed,

"At least let me give you something for the pain," he said after a long pause. Candra hesitated, then nodded,

"Alright," she said quietly. Snape pulled a small bottle out of his pocket, Candra looked at him questioningly. He shrugged,

"I'd assumed you'd be here," he said as an answer. He passed her the bottle and she opened it, sniffing it once she'd done so. She wrinkled her nose,

"It doesn't have to smell nice to work," Snape said. Candra closed her eyes and drank the contents of the bottle quickly, her face wrinkling in disgust. Snape held back the laughter that was threatening to burst forth at the look on her face. When she glared at him he bit his lip and held it in.

They sat down on a bench in the owlry, Percy still swooping around their heads. They didn't talk for a long time, both of them lost in thought.

"I'm still not happy about this," Snape said after another long stretch of time.

"I -" Candra started,

"No. Don't argue, don't say anything. I respect your choices. That doesn't mean I have to like them. I just want to keep you safe." He pulled her into his arms and laid a kiss on the top of her head.

"Come sit with me in my office for a while," he said softly, laying another kiss on her forehead this time. She looked at him and nodded,

"Okay," she smiled at him weakly a small tendril of hope forming in the pit of her stomach.


End file.
